Harvest Moon eclipse: When and where to see the last eclipse of 2016
The Harvest Moon will fill the sky on Friday night and, for some people across the globe, it will bring a special event - a lunar eclipse.
Friday night’s lunar eclipse will be the final eclipse of the year and will be visible across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Those across North America and South America will have to wait until 2017 to see another eclipse.
The Harvest Moon eclipse will be a penumbral lunar eclipse, which is different from a total eclipse.
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the umbra, or the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow. This darkens the moon and can cause the moon to appear a red or orange color.
However, during a penumbral lunar eclipse the moon only passes through the penumbra, the outer part of the Earth’s shadow. This is not as dark as the umbra, but it still causes some shading on the moon.
Penumbral lunar eclipses can be difficult to notice at first, but those gazing at the moon on Friday night should be able to spot some shading over a corner of the moon.
People will be able to see the eclipse without any special equipment; however, the shading will be more noticeable for those with binoculars or telescopes.
The Harvest Moon is one of the most well known full moons of the year and is the name given to the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox. This usually occurs in September, but on occasion, it can fall in October.
In the Northern Hemisphere, this full moon usually falls around the time that farmers are preparing to harvest their crops.
“This full moon’s name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. “At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this moon.”
The full moon in September also goes by the name of the Full Corn Moon, the Barley Moon, the Worm Moon and the Crow Moon.
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